Not that mine are any good but I was trying to learn on red oak and having a hell of a time. I then switched to some thinner poplar and was able to create some passable joints after that. Also as they mentioned, I switched from marking with a pencil to a marking knife which helped out a lot.

-- Joining two of my passions, beer and woodworking. www.halfyankeeworkshop.com

Use a pencil, and leave the pencil line when you cut. Also if you are cutting tails first, mark where you are going to cut the pins off of the tails. Reverse is true if you cut pins first. If I had to guess looking at the picture, It appears you marked both tails and pins before you cut them.

Finally, keep practicing. It is not a skill you can learn over night. You will end up making a lot of book-ends until you are comfortable with it.

I recommend starting with wider pins. You can always moveover the delicate pins when you get the method down.

I think it is much easier to follow a line straight up anddown than to follow an angled line. This is why I cutthe tails first… because all the pin cuts are straightcuts.

I mark the pins from the tails with a 2” long section ofhack saw blade sharpened to a claw profile. The offseton each side is something like 1/24” I suppose. It’simportant to be consistent in your methods of cuttingand marking so you can control the end result. Howyou stand when sawing is pretty important too.

You can always pare pins cut a little wide to fit. I’derr on the side of making them a little wide, especiallyas you master sawing perfectly straight up and down.

Also as a newby to dovetails (1 year on and off practice) I agree with Mike and Loren. Start big and use pencil. Do not touch the pencil line when cutting. In fact, when I’m cutting and I think I may be too far into the waste side I find that I have a perfect fit. Another idea that took me a long time to realize, do your tails first and don’t really worry about being perfect on the line, next to the line, etc. The tails are nothing more than a template for the pins. The pins you need to go slow and careful. The last thing is practice, practice, practice. Dovetails are not easy. There are some great videos on Youtube. Many, many different methods. You have to experiment with all the suggestions and pick your own. Probably a combination of several different people. Don’t think that everyone does it the same. You would be cheating yourself. Just when you think you can’t watch another Youtube video…watch another. The person doing it may be the break through you need.

DT noob here too. Ive been cutting them quite a bit lately with some success, some failure. Here’s a post that i saved a while back from LJ Derek Cohen. The first link on the page opened my eyes to some things i wouldnt have ever thought about.

Not sure which of those you cut first (tails or pins), but it looks like your tails are not square, so if tails first, I would cut them, then check every surface with a square to make sure it is square before marking the pins. Trim your tails with a chisel until you think they are just right, and square, then mark your pins from there.

And like others said, if using pencil, plan to leave your making line…if you cut into your line, you’re sure to have gaps. As you gain practice, you will know instinctively how close to get so you have little if any paring to do at the end.

I’m one who prefers knife lines myself, so in my case I will often notch a place out for my saw against the knife line on the waste side, so my saw already has a place to sit.

-- I'm strictly hand-tool only...unless the power tool is faster and easier!

i use a leigh jig D4 i have own it for years and used it for years if any thing my joints get to tight and you can make a box in about 10 minuts and good to go time is money so dont waste it , and alway use square bords so you dont want to use cheap pine i use mostly oak, ash, walnut or chesnut wood tulip woods also a good choice kayakdude

There are very few projects for which dovetails are more than footnotes to the success of a piece. Fuggettabatttum! Concentrate on design and basic construction: the things that really count. Nothing detracts more than sloppy attempts at dovetails in an otherwise well executed work. It suggests that the rest of the effort ain’t up to par.

-- Clint Searl....Ya can no more do what ya don't know how than ya can git back from where ya ain't been